I miss Art Katz and Leonard Ravenhill

I’m stepping on my soap box. I miss Leonard Ravenhill He could speak / write and true conviction would fall on me. I would deal with another layer of the onion called pride and unbelief I keep in close proximity. I remember when Mike Bickle invited him to speak here in Kansas city around 1990. His book Why Revival Tarries is a classic beyond the grip of time, my father had introduced me to that book earlier. He was gone and a generation needed him.

Mike Bickle brought another man to Kansas city called Art Katz. Art would rock every ones world, they would scramble to see if what he was saying was really scriptural. We actually became like the bereans while He was in town. I would go to the International House of Prayer coffee shop just to listen to the 20 year olds debate Art’s words. He challenged me every time I heard him, its the closest thing to Ravenhill I know of, now He is gone. I miss him and I wait for another like Ravenhill or Katz to take their spot. One with both a history and a current walk with the Lord who refuses to compromise to the latest book written or latest word on Elijah List. They put it out there and they did not shrink back and they DID NOT GO WITH THE FLOW. Many of the prophetic voices in America started out that way but now you here one, you’ve heard them all. Hey YOU GUYS ITS NOT TO LATE TURN BACK AND JUST MAYBE THE CHURCH WILL FOLLOW.

Update : several months ago I had the extreme pleasure of visiting Ben Israel the home of Art Katz. I had gone on a small mission outreach led my friend Joel Snyder of KC. We stayed with Art and Mary Beebe. We were doing some outreaches at White Earth Rez. We were the ones ministered to. Wow hospitality and stories about their years with Art Katz.

Then listening to Inger tell stories about the west bank and Art stories only She would know. I was so humbled so blessed I just shook my head. And maybe above all was Mama Rose. To hear Her story was one thing but have Her pray for us, No wonder Art Katz had brought Her there. Ben Israel has a history as does Art and everyone has their view of it BUT for me Thank God for Art , His Wife His Kids His vision.

My wife and I and our friends Dale and Jeanie Ritter have now been back up to Ben Israel several times. We love it, its like stepping back in time walking in rich spiritual history. It is good to remember what God has done through people despite their imperfections. It should give us hope that we too are building a history, and may those who come after, find us to have been faithful. We love all you guys who shared the journey with Art and Inger despite it all. The Beebes and the Brocks and friends carry the torch. Let another generation arise with like passion.

31 Responses

I could not agree more. If you want a leonard that is still alive google Paul washer He is amazing, not compromised, hard words, and the Holy Spirit. Thats what is in Paul Washer. Love to see people who are influenced so strongly By JESUS that they portray him so closely. Like Leonard, and Art.

True words- we are an in ear tickling era and its only gonna get worse. Amazing that it actually costs the prophet/preacher to stand for God’s gospel and truth, without compromising. Paul said it well to Timothy.. “all who live godly will suffer persecution.” It could be possible that there is little persecution in the Western church because of… I let you make the conclusion.

Great post, I agree- the more and more i listen to Art Katz messages on SermonIndex, the more I see he was a rare breed indeed.

I love them both…arthur katz apostolic foundations still one of my favorite books ever. I’m also a huge ravenhill fan, and its funny cause i’ve been connected with IHOP and24/7 prayer for the last few years as well.

I could not agree more about Ravenhill and Katz. Leonard said something about, “if we don’t have revival in the next ten years, it will be very hard to live in this world. Well, we have all the signs of of “birth pangs” setting in 14 years after Leonard’s death. We sooooo need to get away from the “seeker friendly” once saved always saved mentality, to accept the fact that we have a daily walk and sanctification, and if we leave it behind, we have not “endured till the end.” It is time to seek the healer not the healing. Signs and wonders will FOLLOW those who will do the work of Yahshua. Not the other way around. Repentence from sin and due diligence in seeking God is the only way out of this Babylonian christianity. Return to our first Love!

God has recently led me to listen to Art Katz and Leonard Ravenhill as well. I have never been so impacted and purged as what God is doing right now in my life. I am really encouraged to see other like minded people. God always has a remnant. But, I don’t want to see another Art Katz, or Leonard Ravenhill arise. I want to carry the torch, and I think all of you should as well, not to be seen or recognized, but to fulfill God’s purpose in the earth, and to allow the seed of these men’s message to bear fruit. It is rare in this day to find those who preach the Word. We should be those people. I am reminded of something Art Katz said about prophetic people being those who will be willing to blow the whistle. The Word of God is our standard, not the fads of an apostate church. We need to blow the whistle in our congregations and to the people around us in person, and not just in the anonymity of the internet. Let’s “be not afraid of their faces”.

I agree those are two men that made my heart burn and are largely responsible for my theology today. I still feel something anytime I listen to an old message from Leonard. Art shook me up as well, just at the right time. Leonard gave me passion; Art changed my theology.

P.S. The book from Pete Brock is not so great. It was published and promoted in a way that was not honorable. It also highlights a lot of Art’s failures. While men who dream big, sometimes fail big as well and we don’t need to pretend men are perfect, focusing on their failures can obscure the message. I feel that Pete’s book does that.

I’m surrounded by people everywhere who don’t want God. My heart is hurting, bleeding even for the church. They say that there is no perfect church but that is only because we don’t give ourselves totally like Art gave himself.
I feel trapped in a godless bubble of goo. Help me Lord to grab hold of you tighter that the dirtiness of my own self will sting no more.

I was just out on Google trying to see if there were any updated sites on Art Katz and I found this blog entry. I met Art in 1992 and he had a profound impact on me at the time and times following. I’ve been in contact with some in the community there in MN from time to time and I even had a chance to see Art before he died, and I passed it up — I thought for sure the Lord would heal him. But he battled sickness for well over a year and I believe my thoughts were simply wishful thinking and I should have gone out to see him. I decided after I heard of this death, I would never pass up the chance to be with another man of God again. There are so few authentic ones, as many commenters here have noted and I totally agree.

As for the person who started this blog and is lamenting, I totally feel the same way to a large extent. That’s why I was searching to a large extent — when we touch men and women of God, we touch God Himself. This is what we want and need — being brought to God Himself. Not the other way that twisted people like to “wick” things. The people in Ephesians 4 aren’t to be worshiped and in fact if they are authentic, they won’t allow it in ANY way, shape or form. (But they’ll be like Jesus — slandered and accused like He was…) But it’s strange the way God has built the church. When we come into contact with the authentic, we come into contact with HIM. That’s what Jesus said, didn’t He in Acts, when He told Paul, “Why are you persecuting ME?” Paul was persecuting “people,” but those authentic people ARE Him as well. That’s why we want to “touch” them; they bring us to God Himself. (Actually, we all need to become authentic as Katz talked about in Apostolic Conversion — if you get a chance to read that sometime. I’ve read a ton of Katz.)

ANYWAY… All that to say that, in the end I have to agree with Stephen Mann in the comments above here. We don’t need another “Art Katz” and in fact, if you pay real close attention to what Art preached and advocated (go ahead… read his writings), Art advocated very strongly that the entire Church become Prophetic and FUNCTION that way. Kind of like Moses’ heart: “I would that ALL could prophesy.” Those that are authentic will want the same and will work for that. It was and always has been God’s intention, prophetically uttered by Moses.

People here have mentioned a number of other individuals, but I heard a “sermon” by CJ Mahaney of Covenant Life in Baltimore MD about 15 years ago called “Preparing The Way” (I wish that were still available!) and CJ said that part of the end times will be a moving away from men like Art Katz and Ravenhill — kind of “single hitters” — and there will be a unified church that functions “in the spirit and power of Elijah.” It’s what God has always wanted — a PEOPLE who walk that way TOGETHER like many of the men mentioned here (eg. Paul Washer, Ravenhill, Katz, etc.)

I found recently (in a slander forum somewhere) this link, and from what I can tell, there are people who are beginning to believe and live this way all over the world. Since I so can relate to the yearning and longing (the GROANINGS!) I have read on this thread, I thought I would leave it since it’s been food for my Spirit for a while now:

I’ve found everything there to like CRAZY biblical. Actually so biblical that many of the merely religious will find the teachings there to be radical, so soft-soaped American “religion” which calls itself “christian” has become. There is not a single person I’ve mentioned here who hasn’t been slandered somewhere on the internet because of these things. (I found this thread in a place where Art Katz was being slandered. Washer, Mahaney, Ravenhill, all of them were and are slandered in all parts of the internet and lies made up about them, as Jesus said would happen. The internet has actually radically enabled a lot of people Jude, Paul and Peter spoke about — again, Last Days stuff, right!! 😦 The BEAUTY of that means… we’re getting close to the end! YIPPEE!!!)

Anyway. The authentic that Katz always spoke about in the middle of a sea of that which merely wears Jesus’ Name is getting harder and harder to find. May God bless you all in your search as He has so much in mine. I really appreciate the initial “groaning” and the subsequent “groanings” I read here!

The church is reforming itself as it heeds the words the Spirit gives us through the prophets. I am thankful for such people and I also agree that all of us need to pursue God so that we become familiar with God’s voice and are able to turn and minister to others in His power and authority.

Isn’t that the trouble with us? We don’t know God’s voice although some of us have been believers for decades. God have mercy!

Tozer, Ravenhill, Art Katz, David Wilkerson, and Paul Washer. – Yes. THESE ARE THE MEN OF GOD who have been the MAIN PROPHETIC VOICES of the 20th & 21st centuries. They have touched millions. May their words BURN IN OUR HEART until we become an unstoppable ARMY OF LOVE & GRACE & TRUTH !

REVIVE US, O LORD! and forget not the remnant of Thy people Israel and the Church!

I have such great respect for Art Katz, A W Tozer, Leonard Ravenhill, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Murray Mc Cheyne and Richard Baxter. Among the contemporaries, Art Katz was one of the finest stalwarts of God’s Kingdom. His death was a personal loss for me when it happened a few years ago. I cherish his writings and his essays; I listen to his inspirational sermons and teachings; he has really revolutionized my understanding of the word and has awakened me out of the sleep of death; I was living in deception (the modern day charismania) God has tuned me to read people like James Dunn, NT Wright and several other theologians. I really cannot stop listening to some of Art’s messages over and over again-Anatomy of deception, And they crucified Him, All that is in the world, etc. are my favourites

Having read “Why Revival Tarries.” and “Ben-Israel, Odyssey of a Modern Jew.” I can only agree with everyone’s sentiment. Having listened to Art and Leonard both a great deal on sermonindex.net I have been blown away by both of them. I find it interesting that it is mentioned on this webpage that you guys considered them to be prophets.

That is obviously a title rarely thrown around accurately but I have felt for a while now that they were the only people I have ever heard preach that I could surmise fit into such a category. They certainly did not fit into any other Jello-Mold.

Every time I listen to one of their sermons I don’t know whether to just sit down and cry or wish that I could find fifty other believers who felt the same way.

Michelle Keller mentions Gary Kroeze. Has anyone seen or heard of him in recent years? I’d like any information you might be able to supply.

Thank you.

Also, any info on audio archives of his teaching would be greatly appreciated. I also very much appreciate(d) his friend Art Katz very much. Robert Murray M’Cheyene has had a profound influence in my life.

Last I heard he had moved to Switzerland with his wife who is from there and a chaplain. I used to treasure his messages on tape but lent them out and they were never returned. I have never heard anyone with the quality of Garry.
Tried to find something on the web but no success.
There was some big disagreement between Garry and Ben Israel at some time over legalism, some years ago, after that Garry moved.

Hi Rob. Just re-read the responses here on this fine tribute page. Have to agree with most everyone: these two men were TRUE GIFTS to the church in America and worldwide as well. MAY GOD HAVE MERCY and send us a few more before the Wrath/Judgement falls and Jesus returns in glory!

Martha Ravenhill once sent me a letter (after Leonard left his earthly ministry for glory) that “the church in America completely broke his heart.” as an intercessor and prayer-warrior: I have no doubt that is true. Nearly EVERY DAY he pleaded with the LORD to send America “another Elijah.” … maybe the prayer is yet to be answered in fullness. I hope it is not too late.

Len Ravenhill always said that “the mission of the prophet and the prophet voice is almost always that of recovery.” REPENTANCE and renewal to FULL DEVOTION to Christ.

O LORD, have mercy upon Thy people and Thy remnant scattered among the nations. We’re so sorry for THE MERCANDISING of your giftings and your glorious Gospel. Forgive us. Forgive us, … and send us THE MIGHTY WIND ! SEND YOUR HOLY FIRE !

I learned of Art last year in a short audio clip from his teaching be ye perfect. I had to listen to it 4 or 5 times. I read his writtings or listen to the audio messages as often as I am able. It keeps me on my path. Love, Sharon

Praise God for men like Ravinhill.They understood the epistles and God’s call for pray and Godly living.Today all we have are carnal preachers preaching to a carnal church full of unbelievers who want only what the world wants.Money,power,fame and lust.
God Help us
Rahul

We are in Mexico building communities similar to Ben Israel. Just recently heard about Art Katz. Wished I could have met him before he died. Hopefully more prophets will raise up that not only prophecy of spiritual events but also build a community of true fellowship, the kingdom of God among the church on earth.

Let us go on to perfection and the fullness of The Kingdom: building local communities of Love and Truth and authenticity in Christ as Head over all. Jesus is all about grace, forgiveness, … and an attitude of gratitude toward the One Who was willing to pay for our sins & failures in advance.